Juniper Research’s latest report estimates that mobile adult content subscriptions will reach nearly $1 billion by 2015, led by increased growth in the smartphone and tablet markets, along with the availability of increasingly faster mobile data connections. The firm states that tablets offer a “more engaging experience,” allowing users to see content in more detail and delivering more browsing options. The porn industry still faces many hurdles in emerging markets, however, due to the limitations of low-end smartphones, lack of viable payment methods and legal and social barriers. North America and Western Europe are expected to account for over 70% of the total end-user mobile adult revenues, and the numbers of individual who use adult video chat services will more than triple by 2015, accounting for more than half of all mobile porn revenue. More →

Despite the fact that Samsung surpassed Apple in terms of global smartphone market share, Apple’s iPhone generates more revenue than Samsung’s entire mobile division, according to data from Juniper Research. “Apple’s revenues from its ‘mobile division’ continues to remain significantly higher than Samsung’s, even when you take into account the latter’s feature phones,” Juniper research analyst Daniel Ashdown said. Apple’s iPhone revenue was $22.7 billion in the first quarter of 2012, $29.3 billion if you were to include the iPad, compared with Samsung’s $17 billion from its entire mobile division. Juniper forecasts that smartphone shipments will nearly double over the next five years from just under 600 million units in 2012 to 1.1 billion by 2017. Despite the current state of the market, however, the firm states there is still plenty of opportunities for other players to make strong gains, whether it be Nokia, Research in Motion, HTC or smaller vendors such as Huawei and ZTE. Juniper Research’s press release follows below. More →